Khentii
Genghis Khan's birthplace—Burkhan Khaldun mountain, where he was born, hid as a fugitive, and may be buried. UNESCO World Heritage since 2015. The geographic womb of Mongol identity.
Mongolia's origin story begins in Khentii. Burkhan Khaldun—"God Mountain"—rises to 2,362 meters at the center of the Khentii range, where Central Asian steppe meets Siberian taiga. According to the Secret History of the Mongols, Genghis Khan was born here around 1162. The mountain sheltered him as a fugitive youth. He later decreed it sacred, establishing mountain worship as a unifying practice for the Mongol people. Tradition holds he is buried somewhere on its slopes, though no grave has ever been found—the 800-year mystery that draws archaeologists and treasure hunters alike.
The mountain's spiritual significance explains the province's modern protection. The Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area covers 12,000 square kilometers, established in 1992 as Mongolia emerged from Soviet-era restrictions on religious practice. In 2015, UNESCO inscribed Burkhan Khaldun as a World Heritage Site, recognizing both its natural landscape and its role as the cradle of Mongolian nationhood. The site preserves ovoo—shamanic rock cairns—where ceremonies blend ancient practices with later Buddhist influences.
Beyond symbolism, Khentii's geography shaped Inner Asian hydrology. From these mountains flow the Kherlen (into China's Hulun Lake), the Onon (through tributaries to the Amur and Pacific), and the Tuul (through the Selenge to Lake Baikal). Genghis Khan's empire followed these river corridors; so does modern settlement.
The provincial capital, renamed Chinggis City in 2013, lies 290 kilometers east of Ulaanbaatar. By 2026, heritage tourism will continue growing, but Khentii's significance remains what it has been for eight centuries: the geographic womb from which Mongol identity emerged.